United Methodeviations

The Folly of Form-Focus November 29, 2011

I have been asked by a number of people to comment on the 2009-2012 Study of Ministry Commission Report & Recommendations.  This I am about to do, but I need to set up the criteria by which I am judging the current effort.  There are three fundamental lenses (if you will) that I read through, and if you disagree with any of the three, my opinions won’t carry much weight:

1. form actually NEEDS to follow function
2. predicating recommendations upon unchallenged assumptions results in more of what we already have
3. laying exclusive bias as your foundation risks a house of cards

Examples of each:

1. when I chaired the denomination’s task force on the relationship of science and theology, I spent a lot of time with biologists, geneticists, computer programmers and artificial intelligence mavens who pointed out that discipleship is about transactivation, not transformation — we are not seeking a change of form, but one of function and reach.  A caterpillar does not become a butterfly, then try to figure out what it is supposed to do.  The organic function changes and the form follows to allow it to fulfill its function.  A change of form does not necessarily bring about a deeper change at the core, but a fundamental change at the core always alters form.  And the beauty of transactivation is that it is genetic and viral — changing the individual organism as well as the genus.  We actually want to make disciples for the transactivation of the world.  Messing around with form without attending to function is essentially a waste of time.  (Keep in mind for later…)
2. throughout history, people have actually starved to death because of false beliefs about “unclean” and “unsafe foods.”  Because everyone knew a food was poisonous or prohibited, when it came time to eat or starve, some chose to starve.  What we decide to be true shapes all our subsequent thinking, and when we begin from the idea that our normal way of operating is right, then our suggestions for change lack any real power to change anything.
3. have we learned nothing from the 19th and 20th century gender wars?  Making the experience of some the general assumption for all is the worst possible form of paternalism.  Whenever we equate “Methodism” (in all its forms) with a “Wesleyan heritage” we are making fools of ourselves — especially since so much of what we have decided in the last few decades is “Wesleyan” would not be recognized by Wesley himself.  Our lack of a solid knowledge of our WHOLE history is leading us to some very unfortunate recommendations.

Okay, so here goes nothing.

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